Wind-Powered Laser

Here in the Great Northwet, temperatures are in the upper 70’s and it’s breezy — a good time for a break from the news of the day for a little sailing.

The Laser sailboat is one of the most popular sailboats of all time. Designed to be a simple single-handed sailboat with great performance, it has been sailed by many top sailors and is now an Olympic class sailboat, increasing its desirability (and its price).

In the 70’s, a group of sailors met at San Francisco Bay to race Lasers. Unlike most sail race courses, this was to be just an upwind-downwind slalom course. I remember reading about this in a sailing magazine at the time and wishing I had a Laser. I looked for the magazine last night but my magazine archive isn’t complete as I had hoped — I don’t have the issue anymore.

Fortunately, someone filmed the race and now it’s on YouTube.

Update. Unfortunately, the Youtube video from the ’70’s has disappeared. This one, from decades later, is pretty cool, too. Oh, it makes me want to be on the water. :-)